Novel yarn and method of making same



Patented Dec. 16, 1952 NB-VEL YARN AND METHOD OF R AKING SAIVIE UrlandoA. Battista, Drexel Hill, Pa, assignor to American Viscose Corporation,Wilmington, Del, a. corporation of Delaware No Drawing. Application May5, 1948, Serial No. 25,313

8 Claims. 1

This invention relates to novel composite yarns and to methods of makingthem. The invention provides yarns which can be used in the constructionof special effect fabrics of the ratin or boucl type by ordinary weavingprocedures. The yarns may have only the normal or conventional twist offrom one to five turns of twist per inch, or they may have a highertwist if desired.

An object of this invention is to provide composite yarns which may bewoven to produce boucl or similar fabrics by ordinary weaving methodsand without requiring the application of difierent degrees of tension tothe yarns as they are fed to the loom. Another object of the inventionis to provide yarns for making fabrics having surface characteristicswhich closely approximate or duplicate'those or" a boucl fabric. Aspecific object of the invention is to provide novel composite yarnscomprising at least two singles yarns, at least one of which comprisesregenerated cellulose fibers from viscose, and at least another of whichis a singles yarn consisting of fibers of cellulose reconstituted froman organic acid ester of cellulose in situ in the yarn.

The objects of the invention are accomplished in the following manner:

A composite yarn is produced by plying, doubling or otherwiseassociating at least one singles yarn formed of fibers of afiber-forming organic acid ester of cellulose with at least one singlesyarn formed of fibers of a fiber-forming material which is not affected,as such,by aqueous solutions of ammonia or lower alkylene amines.Preferably the yarns which are associated to form the composite yarnhave a twist of from one to five turns of twist per inch. The compositeyarn is then immersed in an aqueous solution of ammonia or of analkylene amine, such as methylenediamine or ethylene-cliamine, to effectcom plete deesterificaticn of the cellulose organic acid ester componentthroughout its cross-section, the conditions of the deesterificationbeing such that the final composite yarn does not have a measurablecellulose ester content. The composite yarn is then dried in relaxedcondition.

The component comprising the cellulose organic acid ester may compriseone or more singles yarns formed from fibers or filaments of celluloseacetate, propionate, butyrate, etc... or it may comprise one or moresingles yarns formed from fibers or filaments of mixed cellulose esters,such as cellulose acetate-butyrate.

The expression singles yarn designates a continuous fibrous strandconsisting of a multiplicity of fibers and/or filaments associatedtomeasurements on the cellulose. Deesterification of the cellulose estercomponent without'degradation of the cellulose is essential to theproduc tion of useful, stable composite yarns having the desiredcharacteristics. The cellulose ester component present in the compositeyarn in its initial condition, exists in the finished yarn as acomponent of cellulose reconstituted from the ester.

As a result of the removal of the ester groups:

from the cellulose chain, the reconstituted cellulose componentundergoes linear shrinkage so:

that when the treated composite yarn is dried in the relaxed state, thereconstituted cellulose component expends its shrinkage capacity, andshrinks linearly causing the remaining component of the yarn which isnot afiected as such by the deesterification treatment to wind itselfabout the reconstituted cellulose component. There is thus obtained acomposite yarn in which the component other than the reconstitutedcellulose component has been converted to a permanently crimpedcondition, thereby crimping the composite yarn as a whole.

The deesterification of the cellulose ester component of the compositeyarn must be homogeneous andcomplete and, as has been stated, thecomposite yarn, after the deesterification treatment, must not have ameasurable cellulose ester content. I find that ammonia and the loweralkylene amines having up to 3 carbons are specific agents fordeesterifying the cellulose ester component homogeneously throughout itscross-section without appreciable. or noticeable degradation of thecellulose. The conditions of the treatment, that is the concentration ofthe nitrogeneous deesterifying agent, the temperature at which thecomposite yarn is treated with the solution, and the duration of thetreatment, are interrelated. If lower concentrations." of ammonia oralkylene amine are used, higher. temperatures and longer immersion timesare necessary, and vice versa. However, the deesterifying medium ismaintained in the liquid phase throughout the entire treatment. I preferto use aqueous solutions of ammonia or the alkylene amines of from 6 to28% concentration at room temperatures, that is at temperatures in therange of to 30 0. Under those conditions, the deesterification iscomplete in from 6 to 15 hours. Preferably, the treated composite yarnis dried in the relaxed state at from 90 to 95 C.

The singles yarn or yarns plied or otherwise associated with the singlesyarn or yarns of the fiber-forming organic acid ester of cellulose maybe formed from fibers or filaments of any fiberforming material which isnot afiected, as such, to any appreciable extent when the composite yarnis dried in the relaxed condition after immersion in the solution ofammonia or alkylene amine used to convert the cellulose ester componentto reconstituted cellulose. For example, the singles yarn associatedwith the cellulose ester yarn may comprise silk, cotton, flax,regenerated cellulose from viscose or cuprammonium, etc.

The composite yarn comprising a component of cellulose reconstitutedfrom the ester may be woven to produce boucle' or ratin fabrics havingefiects corresponding to those of fabrics made from the conventionalhoucl yarns comprising two ground threads and an effect thread. However, the usual special weaving procedures normally resorted to in themanufacture of boucl fabrics are not necessary in. the present case. Theboucl efiects are due solely to the presence of the novel compositeyarns of the invention. The fabrics may be made wholly of the newcomposite yarns comprising the component of cellulose reconstituted froman ester in situ in the yarn, or the composite yarns may alternate withplain yarns in the warp and filling, or in the filling only. The newcomposite yarns may also be knitted to produce fabrics having veryinteresting surface characteristics.

The following examples will illustrate the method of the invention:

Example I A plied yarn was formed from a 150 denier/ 90 filament dullviscose yarn having a twist of 3 8 turns of twist per inch, and a 150denier/41 filament dull cellulose acetate yarn (commercial secondaryacetate) having a twist of 3 8 turns of twist per inch. The plied yarnhad a Z twist of 8 turns per inch. The plied yarn was immersed in skeinform in a bath consisting of a 15% aqueous ammonia solution for 15 hoursat room temperature. The yarn was then washed free of ammonia, given asoft soap finish, and dried in the relaxed condition. Immersion of theyarn in the ammonia solution had the efiect of converting the celluloseacetate component to reconstituted cellulose at all portions of itscrosssection, so that when the yarn was dried while relaxed thecomponent which initially comprised cellulose acetate shrank about 40%in linear dimension, causing the component of regenerated cellulose fromviscose to wind itself about the shrunken component.

The composite yarn was woven as a filling for a fabric, the warp yarnsof which consisted of one end of 150 denier/90 filament dull viscoserayon yarn having 3 8 turns of twist per inch, alternating regularlywith one end of 150 denier/41 filament dull cellulose acetate yarnhaving 3 8 turns of twist per inch.

Example II A composite yarn consisting of one end of 200 denier/52filament dull acetate yarn having 3 turns of twist/inch and one end of150 denier/ filament dull viscose yarn having 3 turns of twist/inch,plied to give a composite yarn having 14 8 turns per inch, and treatedas in Example I to convert the cellulose acetate to reconstitutedcellulose was used as filling for a woven fabric, the warp of whichcomprised one end of 75 denier/30 filament bright viscose rayon yarnhaving a twist of 3 8 turns of twist/inch alternating regularly with oneend having three Z turns of twist/inch. A novel fabric having thick andthin surface characteristics was produced.

Example I II A composite yarn was obtained in the following manner: Adenier/36 filament dull acetate yarn having 1 /2 8 turns of twist/inchwas plied with a 75 denier/30 filament bright viscose rayon yarn having3 S turns of twist/inch, to give a plied yarn having 14. 8 turns oftwist/inch. Two of these plied yarns were plied to give a composite yarnhaving 8 2 turns of twist/inch. The composite yarn was treated as inExample I to convert the cellulose acetate yarn to reconstitutedcellulose. The composite yarn was then used as the filling for a fabrichaving a warp as in Example II. A novel fabric having thick and thinsurface characteristics was obtained.

Some variations maybe made in the conditions specifically stated in theexamples without transcending the spirit and scope of the invention asdefined in the appended claims.

I claim:

1. A method of producing yarns each comprising at least one shrunk endconsisting of cellulose reconstituted from an organic acid ester ofcellulose and at least one unshrunl: end which is wound about thereconstituted cellulose end as a result of shrinkage of thelast-mentioned end in the yarn, which yarns impart a boucl effect tofabrics woven therefrom solely by the condition of the ends resultingfrom shrinkage of the reconstituted cellulose end in the yarn, whichcomprises plying at least one end of an organic acid ester of cellulosewith at least one end of a material which is not affected as such whenthe yarn is dried in relaxed condition after immersion in aqueoussolutions of ammonia and aikylene diamines, immersing th yarn, pri r toweaving, in a 6 to 28 aqueous solution of a substance selected from thegroup consisting of ammonia and alkylene diamines having from 1 to 3carbons, for from 6 to 15 hours, at 25 to 30 (3., to completely andhomogeneously convert the cellulose ester end throughout itscross-section to reconstituted cellulose without measurable degradationof the cellulose, washing the yarn, and thereafter drying the yarn underrelaxed condition.

2. The method of claim 1 wherein the cellulose ester component initiallypresent in the composite yarn consists of cellulose acetate.

3. The method of claim 1 wherein the plied yarn comprises initially atleast one end of cellulose acetate having a twist of from 1 to 5 turnsper inch.

4. The method of claim 1 wherein the plied yarn comprises initially atleast one end of cellulose acetate and at least one end of cellulosercgenerated from viscose.

5. The method of claim 1 wherein the plied yarn comprises initially atleast one end of cellulose acetate having a twist of 3 turns per inch,and at least one end of cellulose regenerated from ORLANDO A. BATTISTA.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file ofthis patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Number Name Date Dreyfus et a1: Feb. 14,1933 Taylor Oct. 9, 1934 Sowter June 16, 1936 Dickie Feb. 16, 1937Moncriefi et a1. Sept. 7, 1937 Platt Mar. 29, 1938 Bell et a1. Oct. 22,1940 Wallach Aug. 19, 1941 Wallach Nov. 25, 1941 Bell et a1 June 27,1944 FOREIGN PATENTS Country Date Great Britain Sept. 16, 1942 GreatBritain Sept. 16, 1942

1. A METHOD OF PRODUCING YARNS EACH COMPRISING AT LEAST ONE SHRUNK ENDCONSISTING OF CELLULOSE RECONSTITUTED FROM AN ORGANIC ACID ESTER OFCELLULOSE AND AT LEAST ONE UNSHRUNK END WHICH IS WOUND ABOUT THERECONSTITUTED CELLULOSE END AS A RESULT OF SHRINKAGE OF THELAST-MENTIONED END IN THE YARN, WHICH YARNS IMPART A BOUCLE EFFECT TOFABRICS WOVEN THEREFROM SOLELY BY THE CONDITION OF THE ENDS RESULTINGFROM SHRINKAGE OF THE RECONSTITUTED CELLULOSE END THE YARN, WHICHCOMPRISES PLYING AT LEAST ONE END OF AN ORGANIC ACID ESTER OF CELLULOSEWITH AT LEAST ONE END OF A MATERIAL WHICH IS NOT AFFECTED AS SUCH WHENTHE YARN IS DRIED IN RELAXED CONDITION AFTER IMMERSION IN AQUEOUSSOLUTIONS OF AMMONIA AND ALKYLENE DIAMINES, IMMERSING THE YARN, PRIOR TOWEAVING, IN A 6 TO 28% AQUEOUS SOLUTION OF A SUBSTANCE SELECTED FROM THEGROUP CONSISTING OF AMMONIA AND ALKYLENE DIAMINES HAVING FROM 1 TO 3CARBONS, FOR FROM 6 TO 15 HOURS, AT 25 TO 30* C., TO COMPLETELY ANDHAMOGENEOUSLY CONVERT THE CELLULOSE ESTER END THROUGHOUT ITSCROSS-SECTION TO RECONSTITUTED CELLULOSE WITHOUT MEASURABLE DEGRADATIONOF THE CELLULOSE, WASHING THE YARN, AND THEREAFTER DRYING THE YARN UNDERRELAXED CONDITION.